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Thatcham

St. Mary's Church in Thatcham is a large church serving a large parish, which has been much divided over the centuries. It was a Saxon Minster, possibly founded by St. Birinus in the early 7th century.

The earliest part of the present building is the main south door which dates from the late 12th century. The rest of the building was erected in the succeeding centuries of the medieval period, though it was all heavily restored in 1852. The lower stages of the tower were built in the 14th century by the Countess of Salisbury in memory of her husband. Crookham was one of their many manors. The southern chantry chapel of St. Anne is another memorial erected by a widow. Lady Anne Danvers of Chamberhouse Castle built it in the late 15th century, for her late husband, William. The two are buried beneath the monument under the archway between this and the chancel. Sadly, the brasses are now gone and the armorial decoration has lost its colours.